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Battle of Odrzywol
The Battle of Odrzywol (late July 1805), also known as the Battle of Cracow, was the first pitched battle of the Bulkiewicz Revolt in Poland in 1805. Fought north of Cracow, the battle resulted in a victory for Mateusz Bulkiewicz's 15,400 Polish revolutionaries over the Prussian army of 10,600 troops under General Gerhard von Scarnhorst. The Polish rebels were victorious with 9,680 losses, while 8,540 Prussian troops were killed. Background In early July 1805, the ideas of liberalism passed down from the learned classes to the illiterate and poor workforce, who became activists for independence. The Polish workers started riots in Lodz, killing 1,442 people and damaging the cannon manufactory. The King of Poland, Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, ordered the mobilization of additional Landwehr units in the Polish regional capital of Warsaw to reinforce the army of General Gerhard von Scarnhorst. The Poles were appeased by the presence of a new garrison in the capital, but the revolutionary leader Mateusz Bulkiewicz and his army of 15,400 Polish troops were determined to overrun the city and declare an independent government of Poland. In late July 1805, when the Polish army mobilized, Scarnhorst and his army of 10,600 Prussian troops (predominantly Landwehr) launched an attack on the Poles where they stood, in the grasslands north of the city of Cracow. The battle seemed to be favoring the Poles entirely at the beginning, as they had three cannon batteries in addition to over four regiments of Hussars, one of them led by Bulkiewicz. Battle The Polish army far outnumbered the Prussians, so the Prussian army knew that at times, some of their Landwehr regiments would have to fight two or three Polish regiments at a time. The battle began with a charge of Hussars on both Prussian flanks. The two attacks were repelled, but they were soon followed with more attacks by Hussars as well as Polish infantry. The Prussian center faced Polish troops in the woods, giving the Poles cover as well as advantage of numbers. As pressure built up on the Prussian line, General Scharnhorst rode with his bodyguards to the Prussian left and rallied his troops, and when a unit of Landwehr routed, the general personally charged the Poles. He continued to charge additional Polish regiments, routing units of 1,200 troops with only 70. The Poles seemed to be defeated, but the Polish troops in the center were joined by the reserves of Bulkiewicz's army. The Prussians were unable to fight against additional fresh Polish troops, and they were routed. Scharnhorst himself was the last Prussian soldier on the field, and was the last to flee. The Prussian army suffered 8,540 losses while the Poles lost 9,680 troops, and Scharnhorst was wounded. Aftermath The result of the battle was a Polish victory, but General Gebhard von Blucher and a professional Prussian army was sent from Konigsberg (present-day Kaliningrad) in East Prussia to put down the revolt. Shortly after the battle, the Polish commanded Bulkiewicz was captured and executed, and Ksawery Wlodyga took command of the rebel forces. Category:Battles Category:Bulkiewicz Revolt